What Is Love?

Throughout the years, the teenagers in our lives have always dated, had an urge to do things they are not supposed to, made stupid decisions not knowing the consequences of the situation they have put themselves into, and it always seems to be that young love can never wait. In William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, two teenage star-crossed lovers fall in love. Not knowing where this will lead them in the future. The two embark on a short journey of hardships, only with the thought and hope, one day they will be able to be together, without being hated by their kin. In William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet the two main characters share a very loving relationship due to their friendship, physical attraction and dedication to one another.

Romeo and Juliet share a very loving relationship because of their very strong friendship. In the reader’s mind, it is truly insanity: if you could imagine these two lovers only having met just a few short days ago yet, still sharing a wonderful connection, knowing they are truly in love, and not just “love struck.” The friendship of Romeo and Juliet is flowering throughout the whole play. It constantly is building onto a new level; these two lovers know if either one of them was to part from the other, they would find some way to be with each other, or else die trying to find a way. No matter what, the two stay together, even if something horrible were to happen to them. They support each other on everything, and share a connection which seems crazy but is incredible when you think about it. Firstly, Romeo says, “I would I were thy bird,” Juliet then says, “Sweet, so would I, I would kill thee with much cherishing” (II. iii, 185). They are saying, if you were a little bird, that I could keep and pet in the palm of my hand, I would love you so much, that I would kill you; I would crush you with too much kindness that is just how much I would love you. This indicates there are no doubts the two are sharing this beautiful loving connection, and strong friendship. It is clear the two lovers have a strong friendship because when Romeo is banished for having slain Tybalt- the cousin of his newly, ever so fair wife, - he departs for Mantua and Juliet tells her nurse to go and give to Romeo a ring and have him come back to Verona, where the two would spend their wedding night, together, as they wished to do so. Juliet says, “Oh, find him!” “Give this ring to my true knight, and bid him come to take his last farewell” (III. ii, 142-143). Juliet is saying, I need to say good bye to him, he will not leave without his last farewell, he will not leave me with the worry, she just knows it. She knows her Romeo is too sweet, and too much of a romantic to not say goodbye to his one true love, whom he has just married just a few short hours ago. To summarize, Romeo and Juliet share this friendship and connection which, although unimaginable for some, is very strong and beautiful for the two teenage lovers.

Also, Juliet and Romeo share a very loving relationship, due to their intense physical attraction. The first moment they met each other it was like something in the air had purposely drawn them together; it was purely “love at first sight.” When Romeo is secretly attending the Capulet ball with all his cousins, he is constantly admiring Rosaline- the one who he loves -yet, she has no interest in him. When he spots Juliet, he automatically stops and looks, in wonder and awe, at this ever so beautiful creature that has just entered the Capulet party. Romeo is just so taken by this beautiful girl, whom he knows nothing about yet, but who he is extremely interested in. He forgets all about Rosaline and realizes what he felt for Rosaline was not love but lust and infatuation. The beauty that he now sees is love at first sight; a true love; someone who he knows instantly; he wants to spend the rest of his life with, admiring and tending to her every need. All these events happen quickly and Romeo is simply taken over by Juliet’s beauty, it seems crazy but these are the thoughts which were going through the mind of Romeo at the time. Amazingly, it only took one single moment for him to notice her, and he fell truly, madly, deeply, in love with Juliet. The two share a very interesting physical attraction because while Romeo is attending the Capulet ball, and sees Juliet he stands admiring her beauty from afar. He says, “Oh she doth teach the torches to burn bright, beauty, too rich for use, for an earth too dear! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night…” (I.v, 45-54). Juliet also says, “Romeo, doff thy name, And for thy name, which is no part of thee, Take all myself” (II. ii, 47-49).She is saying you are so beautiful, I want you, I need you, and if you want me, you can take me, I`m ready for this, please just take me, take my soul, my whole body, I want you for the rest of my life. When Juliet is saying this, she has absolutely no clue Romeo is beneath her in the bushes, stirring trouble, trying to get even the slightest glimpse of the fairest girl in the land, whom he loves ever so much. In this quotation Juliet is clearly stating she loves Romeo, she wants Romeo, and she will do whatever it takes to have him, and if he wants her bad enough, he will give up his family name for hers, and he will take all of her, as his beautiful bride. This is just how much these two teenage lovers love each other. Even when Juliet has taken the poison from Friar Laurence to fake her own death, for her love, when Romeo comes to her tomb, and awaits by her death bed, to pray, admire , kiss her, and say his last goodbye he still believes, although she is dead, she is just as beautiful as she was when living. He says, “Death that hath sucked the honey of thy breath, Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty thou art not conquered” (V. iii, 92-94) Romeo again, in the tomb later says, “Why art thou yet so fair?...” (V. iii, 102-115) To conclude, both Romeo and Juliet think each other as equally being as beautiful as the stars, Gods, Heavens, they both are taken by each other`s beauty very much.

Furthermore, the two teenage lovers share a loving relationship because of their dedication of to one another. This is what really puts the audience of the Globe Theatre truly sitting on the edge of their seats, when these two teenage lovers try to convince their families that they are truly in love, they just do not understand, these two lovers cannot live without each other, if one is killed, the other will take their own life, just to be with the one they truly love. When Juliet finds her cousin Tybalt has been slain by her newly wed husband, she wonders if she should speak ill of her husband because he has just killed her cousin, but, she knows better… If Romeo has killed Tybalt, it must have been for a sure reason of self- defense, or true love. Juliet knows Romeo better than that; she knows he would never try to kill Tybalt on purpose, unless there was some kind of pure method behind his madness. Juliet says, “But, wherefore Villain, didst, thou kill my cousin that villain cousin would have killed my husband`` (III. ii, 100-101). This quotation indicates Juliet is basically saying if Mercutio had not stepped into the fight, in place of Romeo, and if Romeo had not have been as strong as to kill Tybalt then Romeo would have died. Although Juliet is upset over the death of her cousin she is still thankful that Romeo lived to see their wedding night, even though he has been banished from Verona. When Juliet is weeping in her room for the banishment of her Romeo, she says, “Wash they his wounds with tears? Mine shall be spent, When theirs are dry, for Romeo’s banishment``(III. Ii, 130-131). Juliet is saying she is not as much upset, but just so furious that he had to be banished the very night they were to spend the evening of their wedding together. Juliet is still upset, but moreso frustrated with the laws of Verona, and the rulings of the Prince, who has banished her Romeo from Verona and from his fair beauty, Juliet. As readers, some of us might call it the true definition of insanity but, for Romeo and Juliet, this was their life, and they truly thought one day they would be able to be together, live in harmony, with their families loving them both. To conclude, Romeo and Juliet share a very daring, inspiring, and incredible, dedication towards each other.

In conclusion, Romeo and Juliet the two main characters share a very loving relationship due to their amity, physical desire, and perseverance towards one another. Back in the times when Romeo and Juliet would have dated there were things which existed like arranged marriages, and thus we have our story. Romeo and Juliet two star-crossed lovers knew they were never supposed to be together. They were teenagers; we all were at one time. Teenagers often are confused; they make stupid choices, and do not realize what is to come of those choices which they have made. They look to their parents, or in this case, Friar to get them out of these situations. When desperate times call for desperate measures, Romeo and Juliet take their own lives for the one they truly love. Some readers see this is as beautiful, yet tragic. Others find it revolting, horrendous and it leaves them feeling dissatisfied with Shakespeare, and disappointed, in the two lovers, that they would resort to such permanent and drastic decisions just for young love. Their kin eventually forgive them for having taken their lives, knowing thereafter exactly the reasons why they would do such a thing. Today we live in a society where, we are not persecuted if we long to join in holy matrimony with someone whom is of a different race, religion, culture, sexual orientation and so on. This gives us the freedom to date, to see whomever we desire to. Romeo and Juliet, never had that chance, but today we do, and we take it very for granted. It seems today, there is someone out there for everyone no matter if you are a young girl waiting for her Romeo or a young man waiting for his Romeo. Clearly, One could argue, love isn’t for everyone, some people feel it’s fate which has doomed them with being lone’, and not having a significant other to embrace, or come home to at the end of a hard day’s work, but if two young star-crossed lovers can fall in love with just one gaze into each other’s eyes, and think they have young love all figured out, one could wonder why so many people say they cannot find true love, when Romeo and Juliet found it that easily, and kept it.